


Warm Drinks for Bad Days

by Kephra



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, FWP, Fluff without Plot, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 01:37:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3156077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kephra/pseuds/Kephra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ren wakes up to find Koujaku has already slipped out of bed. He goes to investigate, but his body is giving him trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warm Drinks for Bad Days

Amber eyes fluttered open, and he inhaled the scent of the bright blue locks nestled under his chin. The sleepy smile that had crept across his features faded slightly, noticing the lack of warmth on his back. He glanced over his shoulder, confirming the absence of the third body. His eyes then swept to the clock near the headboard. It was pretty early, enough that it was unusual for Koujaku to be awake already.

  
He hugged the slim figure in his arms, placing a kiss in Aoba's hair as he carefully removed his arm from beneath him so as not to disturb his sleep. (Though that was unlikely, the chance that he would be up in the next few hours was quite slim.)He slowly propped himself up, and a pain shot through his right shoulder. He winced, massaging it with other hand, kneeding at the discomfort. So it was to be a bad day then.

  
Becoming accustomed to Sei's body had been a long and challenging process. Though he was no longer required to do the physical therapy, every once in a while he would have discomfort of varying intensity. It seemed to fall somewhere between a feeling of slight numbness all the way to a sharp continuous pain. Today fell into the later category. It hadn't been this bad in a long time.

  
He slowly peeled himself from the bed, tucking the still-warm crimson bedding around his sleeping boyfriend. He and Aoba had moved in with Koujaku recently. The hairdresser had been showing up more and more often and Granny was quite annoyed with the presence of so many men in the house. Ren and Aoba made sure to visit her often though, afraid she may feel lonely. She adamantly denied it, but was always ready with extra food, and an earful of advice and worry. It was her way of showing she cared, so they just went along with it.

  
As he opened the bedroom door, the scent of coffee drifted through the air. He took a deep breath, the warm aroma soothing him as he made for the kitchen.

  
The sound of bare feet on tile reached Koujaku's ears a moment before an incredible warmth pressed against his back. A small smile drifted to his lips as arms snaked around his midsection. "Morning Ren," he quietly greeted, as the former allmate nuzzled into his neck. The height had given him away, aside from the fact Aoba had probably never seen 7am in his life.

  
"Good Morning, Koujaku," he sleepily returned, voice slightly muffled.

  
"Sorry if I woke you," he responded, placing a hand over those clutched around him.

  
Ren shook his head slightly, his face still buried in Koujaku's hair. "I don't mind."

  
"Coffee?" offered the hairdresser.

  
Ren concidered a moment before replying, "Yes please," he decided; something warm right now would be nice.

  
Koujaku retrieved another mug from the cabinet above him, filling it with the dark liquid from the small pot he'd brewed. "Here," He placed it on the counter, just to the side, and Ren began to unwind from his body, leaving only a hand on the small of Koujaku's back as he reached around him for the mug.

  
"Thank you," Ren replied, taking up the mug, he enjoyed the heat that radiated from it momentarily, placing it on the table as he passed. While Aoba and Koujaku drank their coffee black, Ren had discovered the taste was a bit too strong for his liking, so he liked to add just enough milk to take the edge off.

  
Koujaku had turned around, watching Ren over the rim of his mug as he leaned against the counter. Opening the drawer, he laid a spoon out next to Ren's cup. He looked up to see Ren flinch as he hefted the weight of the full milk container.

  
"What's wrong?" he asked, brows furrowing with worry.

  
Ren looked up at him a bit surprised, before looking away almost instantly. "It's nothing, I probably just slept on it wrong." Having uncapped the milk he poured a bit into his coffee as if to show Koujaku he was fine. But the look on Koujaku's face told him he wasn't buying it.

  
"The adjustment has been such an inconvenience to both you and Aoba..." Ren started.

  
"Oi. We know its been one-hundred times harder on you. Don't think for a second you're a burden on us, ok?" He couldn't count the number of times they'd told this to Ren. They supposed it's just in his nature to think of others before himself. He pulled out one of the chairs around the table. "Sit."

  
"But..."

  
"Sit," Koujaku insisted, his crimson gaze unwavering. Ren slumped a bit in his posture like a disobedient puppy as he slunk to the chair. Koujaku, satisfied, placed a kiss in his hair before grabbing the milk and placing it back in the fridge.

  
As he headed back towards the table, Ren stared into the swirling colors of his coffee. Koujaku took another sip of his own, then placed it on the table in front of Ren. "Now." He said, gently running his fingers over his back. "Where does it hurt?"

  
"...a little higher." Scarred fingers traced over his skin through the thin cotton fabric of his t-shirt.

  
"Here?" Koujaku tested.

  
"A little more," Ren guided him.

  
"Ah," Koujaku stopped, fingers finding the bundle of tense muscles. "There it is." They'd been through this countless times during Ren's rehabilitation, though it was only recently he'd been shy about asking for help. "You let me know if it hurts."

  
Ren nodded. He relaxed into the touch as his eyes drifted closed. Koujaku was nearly as skilled a masseur as he was a hairdresser. His deft fingers melted away tension, and soothed the nerves. Between the warm scent of coffee, and his lover's attentive touch, Ren was beyond content. "Ah," Ren uttered abruptly, halting Koujaku's hands.  
"Too much?" The older man asked, worried.

  
"No, keep going." He'd zeroed in on the discomfort, but it was a good pain, one that lessened as Koujaku continued to work on the knot. He'd gone so long without any problems, weeks if he'd recalled correctly. He had begun to believe that all of this might be behind them, that he would no longer have to worry Koujaku and Aoba.

  
"You've been doing pretty well lately, haven't you?" Koujaku spoke up, almost as if he was reading his mind. "It's really nice to see how far you've come, Ren. We're really proud of you." His fingers continued to dig at the offending muscles. "You don't have to be shy about asking for help though."

  
A smile spread across Ren's lips, and he responded quietly, "Understood." He really was lucky. In his wildest dreams he could never have imagined a future like this. It was all too fantastic. As the minutes passed, he held onto that feeling, cradled it within his heart as Koujaku's fingertips kneeded into his shoulder.

  
The pressure lessened as Koujaku's hands moved, giving a less directed, general massage over a larger area of his shoulder. "Better?" He asked.

  
Ren was brought back to reality, having barely comprehended what Koujaku had said. "Ah." Ren nodded, rolling his shoulder to test it. He could still feel a bit of discomfort in the joint, but the majority of the pain had gone away. "Much better, thank you."

  
The elder man stepped around the side of the chair, running his fingers through Ren's dark cobalt hair as he leaned down to eye level. "We all have good days and bad days, Ren. That's why it's important that we have each other. Right?"

  
Ren acknowledged Koujaku's own struggles, placing his hand over Koujaku's, nuzzling into the scarred palm at his cheek. "Right." A warm smile crept over his lips, immediately mirrored by the other man, who began to lean forward.

  
Their lips met, exchanging their silent promise, still-smiling. Koujaku righted himself, once again petting Ren's hair, a habit neither of them seemed to have any intention of changing, despite him no longer inhabiting a canine body.

  
"I'm headed out early today. If your shoulder is still bothering you when I get back I'll give it another go." Koujaku took what was left of his coffee in a few gulps.  
"Understood." Ren nodded once more. A nostalgic sound reached his ears as Koujaku woke Beni from sleep mode.

  
"We're off Beni, say goodbye to Ren."

  
The tiny bird made an annoyed click with his beak. "Fine, wake me up just as we're leaving, not even enough time for a real greeting. I see how it is. See you later, Ren." He huffed from Koujaku's shoulder.

  
With a wide grin Ren responded, "Take care, Beni."

  
Koujaku turned to leave, but paused a moment. "Oh, and Ren, make sure Aoba is up by at least ten, his sleep schedule has been getting out of hand lately..."

  
"Leave it to me." Ren smiled back as the hairdresser waved, and the door clicked closed behind him. He took a sip of his slightly cooled coffee, the perfect temperature.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to CelestialSymphony for beta-ing.


End file.
